Every year, millions of dollars worth of value on MTA MetroCards are lost or discarded. However, a student project at NYU called MetroChange takes this value and puts it to good use. The concept is simple: swipe your MetroCard at a MetroChange kiosk and the value on the card is transferred to a central fund. This fund is then donated to a charity once per month while the physical card is taken for recycling. As a daily subway rider and proponent of social good, I am totally in favor of this. Well done, guys!

Here’s a reminder not to be afraid to see things differently. I think you can change the world. I dare you. And you can start by purchasing this letterpress poster because 100% of the profits are donated to Acumen Fund‘s mission to end worldwide poverty.

Come join us this Friday for an interactive panel discussion on Social Media For Social Good. It all goes down inside Wired’s holiday pop-up store in Times Square and features founders from Warby Parker, Catchafire, Tweet Drive and Holstee. I’ll be moderating the panel so feel free to tweet any questions. Admission costs only a hi-five and is open to the public. Hope to see you there!

If film is the ultimate art form, or at least a vehicle for showcasing all types, I can really get behind Breadtruck Films and Jeff Durkin’s Kickstarter-funded documentary Art As A Weapon. The art film/political documentary is focused on raising awareness about the Burmese struggles for human rights through a dialogue with Western artists like Shepard Fairey. This project is yet another awesome example of how we can provoke change by speaking with our dollar. Money might not be the root of all evil, but rather how we spend it. If you’re interested in funding the project, check out the Kickstarter page and the different rewards for participation, not least of which could be bettering many people’s quality of life.

By the stache of Rollie, it’s Movember, a month-long celebration of fine mustachery that raises awareness for prostate cancer and other c-words that affect men. That’s right, mustache season is officially open, and TOMS is getting in on the facial hair fun. Grab these limited edition kicks for both gents and gals (because even ladies feel the love), and grow a Mo to save a bro this month! [h/t Bless this Stuff]

There are times in this world where we need to do everything in our power to keep someone on this planet and such is the way I feel about my pal Amit Gupta (founder of Photojojo and Jelly). Amit is currently battling leukemia and while he has been getting an outpour of support from the interwebs, we’re still working on finding him a bone marrow match so we can get him healthy and back to making awesome in this world.

It’s really easy to join the bone marrow registry (you take a simple swab test) and hopefully if we can get enough new registrants, we can save Amit’s life and countless others in the process. Please guys, it would mean so much to me if you’re able to able to join (especially if you are South Asian) or just keep spreading the word to friends and family. There are even drives to collect potential donors in NYC and Dallas today with more scheduled for Connecticut, San Francisco and Ann Arbor real soon. Everything you need to know about helping out can be found here and if you prefer the FB, here.

Tired of your weekly routine? Great, because this Friday is PARK(ing) Day and we encourage all of you to take a break. You know, that is if you’re down with more urban green space and promoting community. It’s truly an international affair and last year, 850 parks were set up in 183 cities across the globe to demonstrate the need for more urban green space. This will be our 3rd year of creating our own park in San Diego (details here) and we’ll be joined by our friends at Sezio, Community, The Foundry, the San Diego Architectural Foundation and Synthetic Lawn Supply. Last year, we were called hippies and deadbeats by some miserable people (on the interwebs of course) so this year is sure to have its share of drama, although I must say we’re getting to be pros at handling the fuzz. I kid, they were actually quite awesome about us doing this last year! Get on out there, even if it’s just during lunch and if you’re not in SD, check the map to find locations in your city.